Off Limits in Sioux Falls, The Curious Places We’d Love to Explore

People have described me as the curious type. Here are a few places I’d love to see in Sioux Falls, but they’re off limits. Would you like to have a peek too?

Although it would be fun to have clearance to get up to the top of the clock tower at the Old Courthouse Museum, another location in that building that totally peaks my curiosity are the storage archives. I imagine them to be in the basement. Somewhere there likely is a display of taxidermy frogs playing fiddles that I remember seeing in the Pettigrew museum when I was a kid. All of the archived items would be fascinating.

Understandably the FAA doesn’t take kindly to curious onlookers, but it would be so cool to visit the Sioux Falls Airport Control Tower. The view would be awesome, as well as seeing the hardworking staff monitoring the skies and all of their equipment.

Let’s get one thing clear right now. I don’t want to do anything to get into the SD State Penitentiary, but every time I drive by, there is a curiosity factor. What do the cells look like, the beds and common areas? Yes, I smile and wave at the trustees outside on the grounds. The smile and wave is returned most of the time too.

The artistic design and crafting of historical homes is very alluring. Wouldn’t it be fun to have a personal tour of any of the homes in the Sioux Falls Historical district, discovering the woodwork inside, ceramic tiled fireplaces, majestic staircases and stained glass windows that come alive with the sun shining in? These precious homes seem to have a story to tell and I’d love to hear every one.

Perhaps you’re scratching your head as to why seeing the inside of the Sioux Falls Water Treatment Plant would evoke such mystique. This actually goes back to elementary school days, a field trip, and my wide-eyed classmates viewing the two huge open water storage containers inside. From what I can recall, there was an emergency boat stored on the wall, just in case someone fell in the water. Could it still look the same all these years later?

The Cathedral is one of the most welcoming places in Sioux Falls, but if you’d ask them if you could go to the very top of the bell towers, you may get a surprised expression from the caretakers. My guess is a ladder could be involved, but what an amazing view!

Here’s another curiosity thing from my childhood. Before our current Sioux Falls Regional Airport, I have vague memories of the prior airport, and if I’ve understood correctly, its now on site at the Air-Force Base adjacent to the airport. It would be neat to see the original airport building again.

Seeing anything abandoned completely calls to me. My Dad and I went though an abandoned house near Corson years ago, touched nothing, and enjoyed seeing the antique bed, piano and kitchen table. 20 years ago there was an immense abandoned home just north of Canton SD. The pocket doors, built in hutch and staircase were incredible. Every time we returned for another look more items were sadly missing. Times are different now and I don’t think I could bring myself to go onto a property without permission, but the draw to discover what’s inside any forgotten building still beckons me to peek inside. This farm is just outside of Howard SD and we pulled the car over for a better look just a few days ago.

What off limits places in the Sioux Falls area would you love to see more of?

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